Moon walking again!

I finally managed to get in to see my surgeon a few weeks ago and had an x-ray. The screws and plate are hunky dory but the bones aren't fusing. So I've been put back in my manky moon-boot and told not to walk more than 5 minutes. These are my guidelines for six weeks and then I have a CT to see whats happening.

So I'm three weeks in and the pain can be quite extreme. Every time I lift my foot it feels like its separating! My back is also being effected because my work-boots and most of my shoes are a different heel height to the moon-boot so I'm thrown out with every step.

I want it to feel secure and the moon-boot doesn't do it. There's too much shift.

The cause of my non-fusing is basically my hyper-mobile ankle.

It rotates and bends so much that there is no chance of fusion. Most people are apparently so stiff that its not an issue but not me! I was thrilled because it looked like I had maintained enough flexion to cope with uneven ground whereas my ankle is held together by a couple of screws and a plate!

So now I'm waiting to see what the outcome will be and where I go from there.

I've look at the research and one of the treatments for non-fusion of an ankle arthrodesis is a tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis, which is what my original surgery was. So I will wait and see what the CT says and what the outcome is.

The pain! The pain!

I've been back at work for nearly a month and it is hard! I work as a Customs Officer so there is a lot of walking - airports are big places.

When I started back after 3 months off, I did 4 hours a day with a day off in between. Then I went to four hours one day and six hours the next. I'm now doing six hours a day for a shift of 6 days with 3 days off to recover. Next week I'm back to full hours. 

It's 17 weeks since my op and I was hoping to be feeling a lot better by now. When I was at home on sick leave I was doing brilliantly but now I'm back at work I'm going backwards! I limp really badly. I've read that I shouldn't (a similar problem to me) but I can't walk any other way. I wear big steel capped boots for work which should support my ankle but maybe they are too heavy and are putting stress on it. The problem is I cannot work if I'm not wearing them. I usually have pain sitting around 3-4 and always feel like my ankle needs clicking back into place. I can't get the pain down below this even with tramadol or naproxen (or both when I'm really desperate). I also can't take tramadol when I'm working.

Today I was doing stuff around the house and suddenly my ankle went up to 8 on the pain scale. I'm back to thinking an amputation sounds good 😆. It isn't swollen; it just felt like someone was trying to cut through it with a blunt pair of scissors. I had to sit down immediately. My husband got me my crutch, which I hadn't used since my cast was taken off. I hobbled upstairs and put it up. He suggested that I use both crutches and be non-weight bearing but when the foot is suspended it feels like it's just hanging by a thread of skin.

I've read a lot of accounts from people who have had the surgery in other countries and they seem to have a much longer time in casts and non-weightbearing. Everyone seems to have been in a cast, whereas I had the option of just being in a moonboot. I'm really nervous that I am doing damage or interfering with the healing because of my surgeon's quick return to weight bearing. It wasn't reassuring looking at the X-ray and being told it looks good but you can't really tell if it's fusing until the 6 month mark.

My work limits the aids I can use. I wasn't allowed back in a moonboot and I can't use crutches. Fortunately I'm able to do duties that involve sitting, avoiding the standing tasks. I'm feeling like I've lost myself really and wondering if it was a mistake to have the surgery. Ironically I am in so much more pain than I was presurgery and I am causing problems in other parts of my body because of the way the ankle forces me to move. My lower back often seizes up, my opposite hip that had had a steroid injection to reduce a bursitis is back to the same level of pain and difficulty lifting it and the cyst on the back of my opposite knee hasn't improved pain wise despite a steroid injection in it.

I tried contacting my surgeon to check up on whether I'm progressing normally but she was in theatre. Her receptionist said that she would pass on my message via an email that I sent but she doesn't appear to be the best with technology. I haven't heard anything and it's been a week so I'm going to have to chase it up, which I hate doing. The pain makes me irritable and I get more intolerant of people. I'm turning misanthropic and totally relate to Sartre's quote "Hell is other people."

So life is not being a bowl of cherries but I'll just keep hobbling along.

Freedom!

 I have waved goodbye to my moonboot. My ankle seems to be doing all the right things. I just have to make sure the stressors placed on it are not greater than the strength of the bond! Physics anyone!

My surgeon recommends I wear boots. My work boots are great and I have some casual Timberland boots but I don’t see them looking right if I’m going anywhere special.

My foot doesn’t feel like it agrees with the decision to free it. I have a very hesitant step because it’s having to learn to roll through itself instead of depending on the moonboot. I haven’t been given any physio. My only direction is no pounding for 3 months and do cycling to get my fitness back. I’m hoping deep water running is ok because it’s more my jam than cycling to nowhere.

I have another appointment in 3 months to check the final fusing has occurred although every time she’s looked at my xrays she’s said “It looks good but you can never really tell.” Words to fill me with confidence, not!

I find it interesting how recovery varies so much around the world. Same bones but so many different protocols and procedures. I found it a huge learning curve because what I had read up on about ankle fusion was different to what happened in my experience. I felt a bit like I was treading new ground even though I wasn’t.

Life in a moonboot

My moonboot has been my constant companion for six weeks. If you asked me to produce a right shoe, I would struggle. I am over the sound of Velcro ripping apart and the clomp of the boot as I walk. I was watching The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina on Netflix and the Dark Lord came walking into Dorian Gray’s and the sound of his one human foot and his one cloven hoof walking sounded just like me!

The levels of pain have varied. Two to four weeks after the cast came off have to be the most painful. Part of it was I developed plantar fasciitis after being in the cast. I didn’t know that it was plantar fasciitis, I just knew it felt like it. I would heat a wheat pack and wrap it around my heel and ankle to relieve everything that hurts.

Paracetamol was usually sufficient but I did take a tramadol a couple of times and a naproxen a couple of times. I am on gabapentin as a treatment for some of my MS symptoms so that had to help.

Despite finding the moonboot a chore I wasn’t really hindered too much by it. My work wouldn’t let me return to work until I was out of it because working for NZ Customs I need to be able to wear steel capped boots and react quickly in emergencies. So I’ve been learning French and getting lots of things done. It’s also made medical appointments easier to arrange, as well as vet visits.

I went on holiday to New Caledonia and learnt a valuable lesson. Do not get sand in your moonboot. I thought I’d dusted it all off but some remained and it rubbed really nasty patches on my leg. Not fun when you need to wear the moonboot that caused the rubs. I covered them with plasters and they started to settle down. While we were there I really tested out the capabilities of my moon boot. I went looking for a supermarket and managed to walk 15 kilometres! No real side effects until I did the sand trick.

I have found it really hard to be balanced while in the moonboot. I bought some trainers that seem about the right height and shoes with a small heel work great. I still manage to scrunch up my back and I’m having real issues with my lower back. I’ve had to have a few hot baths to get it to relax.

The scar still looks angry. It’s thick and red and sensitive. I’m hoping that it will shrink down and lighten up to resemble all the other scars in the same area.

It’s one day to boot off (hopefully). There should be a better indication that everything is bonded. I am so paranoid I am setting myself up to expect a repeat surgery. The skin around the joint burns like fire. It also feels like it clicks and even feels a bit unstable. I’m crossing everything that that will not be the case. I want emancipation from my moonboot.

2 days out of the cast

I’ve been making up a bit for being trapped at home in a cast. I couldn’t drive, the driveway was so steep and using a knee crutch on public transport was “interesting.” I did a complete pivot and fell once trying to get into a seat on a bus.

Being able to take the moon boot off to drive has meant I can get out of the house much more easily. I haven’t done anything major, grocery shopping and a visit to a cafe.

Pain wise it’s hard to tell. I have a very high pain tolerance so I tend to block out pain. My toes are no longer numb. I was a bit concerned about this when I was in the cast. It wasn’t tight but they definitely lost sensation. I can wiggle them quite happily. My foot is still swollen and the skin is really dry so it feels a bit strange wiggling the foot. If I try to circle my ankle when seated I get a sharpshooter pain on the outside at the bone. There’s no pain around my incision but when I walk my sole below it feels a bit sore. I also have a bit of pain at the back of my heel. It feels like a carpet burn. So not much pain really. I can walk without the moon boot, for example getting into the shower and I only limp a little.

My biggest issue is the moon boot. I’ve got a small but my calf is so wasted that when I go up and down stairs it moves up and down. Even with the pads placed on my calf it still gaps!

So far I’m very happy with the surgery and I’m looking forward to really testing it out down the track.

My foot is free (sort of)

Yesterday was my 6 week appointment with the surgeon. I’d read up on what to expect at the appointment and following. I knew that the odds were good that my cast and I would part company.

When I arrived I had the cast removed before xraying. It was so good!

My leg was like a hairy reptile! Plus it still had the arrow pointing out it was the right leg.

So now I was back on crutches but without the heavy weight of my cast. I had brought my moonboot because I was hoping I would be signed off on light weight bearing.

Once I’d been x-rayed I saw the surgeon. She showed me the x-ray but said at this time it was impossible to really know if it had fused completely and I’d have another x-ray and appointment in six weeks. It was interesting to see my other ankle bones with space between them and my fused ankle sitting flat on with its screws.

She said I would need to wear the moon boot when I was walking but I could take it off when I was sitting down, driving (yay!), showering and bathing and when I was in bed.  That sounded pretty much what I had read but the next thing was not! She said I could weight bear straight away. I could use crutches or a crutch if I wanted or needed to but basically I could walk as per normal. I put the Moon boot on and took a few steps and my calf cramped up big time! And I couldn’t pull my toes back to stop it. I used one crutch to support me a bit and that helped.

I was a happy camper, if somewhat surprised. 

The side view of the withered limb.

Looking at both my legs together is hilarious. I’ve lost so much muscle mass off the right leg. It is 5cm narrower in dimension than my left. I’m going to have to pay in some pretty serious leg work to get  it back to normal.

The difference. Both legs look swollen due to the angle!

The ankle movement is fantastic already, even with the swelling. The only moment I can’t do is what you would use for a side kick in karate and I’m pretty sure I can survive without that .

I was able to go out grocery shopping today, which was good because online shopping always seems to end with me forgetting to order something.

Below is a video of my range of motion. Enjoy!

 

The thing about using one leg

I have already talked about my poor left knee suffering under the weight of being the soul usable leg.

A couple of days after the ultrasound that definitely diagnosed my Bakers cyst, (which had ruptured and was separating my calf muscles!) my GP phoned. She told me what I already knew but was more inclined to refer me for a steroid injection than she had been at my first appointment. She put a referral through for an aspiration of my Baker’s cyst and a steroid injection.

I rang through to make my appointment. The receptionist said that they only had one radiologist on that week and he hadn’t done this procedure. Did I want to see him or wait until next week when the other doctors will be back on board? Ah, waiting please.

So today I went in for an ultrasound and treatment of the Baker’s cyst. The radiologist was happy to do the steroid but didn’t think aspiration would be necessary. So I had a nice shot of local into the top (not the back) of my knee and then he removed the syringe and put the steroid syringe on so no double dipping around.

So now I’m back home and of course it feels great because the local is doing its thing. I went from a 6 to a 2 on the pain scale, only my calf hurt. Unfortunately it’s going to wear off in a few hours and then it’ll take about 36-48 hours for the steroid to kick in. During that time period I’m likely to get my cast off so some light weight bearing might start so poor old lefty will have a bit less of a load to bear. It was naturally happier when I used my knee crutches rather than fore arm crutches. There was also no way it could propel me up stairs. It could not do the nice pop up.

I haven’t tried since the steroid went in. 

The other problem I encountered was I fell, a lot! My left leg would just go on strike. Most times it was no problem. I tried to step over a speed bump in our driveway and ended up sprawled on the ground. I had to take the crutch off, hard when you’re splayed, stand up with no support and put it back on.  No real injuries following that or any inside falls. The only damaging fall was on a bus, which was stationary. I pivoted around and crashed to the ground. In the process I managed to push my right knee sideways (a trick of mine) and sprain my right shoulder. Because I bruise easily anyway and I’m on aspirin I developed some lovely bruises. My shoulder is still sore but everything else is fine.

I’ve done much and blogged little

My orange cast was so uninspiring. I googled ideas to decorate casts and saw a few using Ironman. My Marvel hero is Captain Marvel so I decided to paint my cast as her boot.
I even managed a visit to the movie to check for accuracy.

Painting an half leg cast is a bit of an exercise in flexibility. I decided I’d paint it as bursting out of my cast. I thought I had acrylic paints but I had watercolour. I thought it would be fine if I sealed it. It was a mistake. The leg bits were fine but the black sole was a recurring nightmare. I couldn’t reach so I got my husband to do it and he was very diligent and painted it nice and thick so no orange showed through. I sealed it but the problem was some areas were still wet underneath and they squished out and I left black marks everywhere my foot touched - the bed sheets, towels...

It was ok but not what I really envisioned. So I bought some paint sample pots in red, blue and gold. Yes that’s right my black paint was a problem but I did not buy black paint. I don’t know what I was thinking. Maybe I didn’t want to have to ask for assistance so I left it out.

The result was much better.

Even the black started to behave after I sealed it all again. That was until I really needed a bath. I knew I could use my cast protector in the bath. All I had to do was equalise the air by opening the seal when the cast was under the water. Yeah, about that, make sure the back of the seal is not under water. A small bit got through. I noticed it in the top corner by the seal and pulled my leg out of the water, threw it over the side of the bath (like I should have done in the first place. Little grey drips fell from the heel and the lining at the top and bottom felt damp. A very long session with the hairdryer on the outside (not top hot setting or you will sizzle your toes) and it was good as new. No dripping black since and no squishiness inside. 

Now what am I supposed to do!

I have continued to struggle with the crutches and my left knee is quite sore. I was stretching up to undo a door lock and the back of my knee complained quite noticeably. I had noticed that it was difficult to straighten the leg fully. It was the weekend so I headed to the A&E to get it checked out. It may have been mishandled during surgery, who knows! With my hyperextending joints it would be quite easy to twist it the wrong way.

I waited for three and a half hours with only Australian rugby programmes to entertain me. My fusion was getting very sore and it was difficult to elevate it. My pain relief was overdue and I was not feeling happy at all. I decided to pull the plug. I went to the desk and told them I was leaving.



I tried to book an appointment with my GP and could only get an appointment in four days time. So I took it and tried to baby my knee in the meantime. It was very difficult to use crutches if I needed to and even using my knee crutch put extra weight on it. I’d finished all the nice pain relief and I was just taking regular paracetamol and that was not helping my knee.

Finally my appointment came around. I’d also managed to twinge my back somehow so I was truly the walking wounded. I explained what was happening and the doctor felt it was most likely a Baker’s cyst (named after the discoverer not because they are common in bakers.). It’s where the synovial fluid in the knee increases due to an injury or inflammation and it fills the bursa at the back of the knee and bulges out.

She said there wasn’t much I could do about it apart from pain relief and it will hopefully resolve. She was against draining it because of the risk of infection. To correctly diagnose it I need an MRI. I booked one in the soonest possible slot....in two weeks time!

In the mean time I’m taking my regular medications and tramadol. It makes me a bit sleepy but since I’m supposed to be recovering it’s probably a really good side effect.

Looking up how to treat a Bakers cyst it recommends good pain relief - ticking that box, strengthening exercises - doing those, and using crutches to rest it until the pain is controlled. Well I am using crutches but not to rest that leg! My poor left leg is supposed to be responsible for moving me around and now I find it needs to rest. The cyst is supposed to dissolve back into the body but I didn’t think it has much chance of doing that since I still need to use it. There is a risk that the cyst might rupture and the fluid would drain into the calf and cause pain very similar to a DVT. If this happens you’re supposed to see a doctor urgently. Hmm good luck with that.

So my knee is complaining a bit but I’m trying to rest it as much as possible - I crawled into the shower instead of hopping. The good thing is my back is much happier with the tramadol. Hopefully that’s all I need for it. I don’t want to go back to the osteopath again. I both love and hate the cracking and I really don’t like being picked up off the table to stretch it out. It works, which amazes me since I’m a real sceptic. Hopefully all this rest will sort it out too. 

Time keeps on ticking...

After clomping around a week I had my bandage removed to check what was happening.

The wound looked really good. There was no sticking to the dressing like when I had my calcaneal osteotomy so that was a relief. The external stitches were removed and the rest are dissolving stitches.

The nurse told me that my surgeon would come and look at it and then I could put my moonboot back on. Horrors! I did not want that heavy, hot unwieldy thing on if I didn’t have to. It looked ridiculous wearing a moonboot and a walking crutch. I said I’d been expecting a cast. The nurse said to tell that to the surgeon....and I did. Got my cast! The nurse then told me only the patients who can be trusted to follow instructions get offered the moonboot option. I took that on board - I’m a trusted patient 💖 and then I got my cast put on! Not as bright as I’d have liked. She was out of all Fluoro colours sadly.

When she checked my foot the surgeon moved the ankle nicely up and down. That was reassuring. While the cast was being put on I had to keep my foot at right angles to my leg and push my toes flat. My toes don’t do flat they do a weird curling so it was a real mission getting the foot just right.

I had to use crutches to leave because the knee crutch might dent the cast. This was not fun, I couldn’t seem to get the motion right. I was glad to get to the car. It was nothing like when I’d previously had crutches. I struggled around at home and then decided I’d google how crutches should be adjusted. It turns out the crutches that the nurse thought were a perfect height for me were way too high. No wonder I was literally leaping around. I adjusted them correctly in anticipation of my next journey.

Unfortunately even with the correction of the height I still struggled with the crutches. I tucked them in the corner of the room for emergencies and went back to solely using my knee crutch.

I have only summited our driveway three times since my surgery. The first time I used my crutches and my knee crutch and resembled some sort of mantis like creature. The second time I weaved

 backwards and forwards and it took forever. Then it came to me - use your walking stick! I set out on a trip to the train station to check I could get there for work and then to have a nice lunch and maybe some shopping. There are two very steep walkways to the station but with my walking stick I made it relatively easily. Success! I had lunch and walked home. Halfway there I suddenly remembered to hold the grip on my knee crutch when going up and down hills and it will be no problem. And so it was! After lunch and shopping I was able to put my walking stick in my bag and trundle home. I was thrilled by the fact that I beat an old lady to get up the hill.

It’s the small things that make your day! Now I just need a tripping hazard sticker and maybe a safety flag for my foot!

It’s been over a week!

Thankfully I am experiencing very little real pain. I don’t need to take the OxyContin any longer but I’m taking all of the other medications I’ve been prescribed on top of my usual pile.

My biggest issues are my toes and the incredibly annoying itch. My toes go very numb and feel like I’ve been out into snow.The moon boot isn’t too type, I don’t think that the bandage is too tight because it wriggles around a bit when I’m putting on or taking off my cast protector to shower.

I open up the moon boot so my heel is still protected but my toes get some fresh air during the day. No moving though! I just have to focus on the itching being a sign of healing but it is very distracting.

I’ve made an effort to escape from the house. Friday was a lovely day and I really wanted to be out in it so I set myself the challenge of getting to my local cafe. If I couldn’t make it back then I’d just have to Uber.

We have a very steep driveway:

It doesn’t look it in the photo but it was like climbing a very steep mountain. I 

used my knee crutch and both of my elbow crutches to walk because I didn’t  want to have my foot slip and have a disaster. So looking like something a kin to a praying mantis I walked 1.5km to my local cafe.

Once I’d filled up on yummy sticky black rice and tea, I actually felt quite confident on achieving the return trip.

Shore Road Cafe - beautiful presentation.

I made it back alive and well. Hurray. I feel much healthier and I was making  goals to help me move through my recovery mentally and physically well.

Nauseous!

Today is not a good day. It’s my I feel sorry for myself day. Having surgery has triggered my MS to flare up. My left leg feels like someone has whacked it and since it is the one carrying the load it’s making moving around pretty hard. My hip also hurts and I’m not sure if the bursa that I had a steroid injection in is not happy or it’s an MS thing. 

I have to take the oxycodone to cope with the pain at the moment but it’s making me nauseous. It’s easy to say nausea is better than pain but when you’re not feeling the pain but you’re definitely feeling the nausea it’s hard to remember that. I’ve been using crutches to go to go to the bathroom because it’s easier than having to put on the knee crutch, walk to the bathroom, take the knee crutch off, manoeuvre to the toilet, try to get up off the toilet with no rails, get the knee crutch back on, make it back to my bed and take it off again. They are fine to go down stairs but I still can’t get my head around the getting up the stairs - getting my good foot up to the next step while balancing on the crutches. Crawling up the stairs seems easier until you reach the top and have to get from the floor to standing. 

I had a wobble last night and nearly landed on my foot but fortunately broke my fall with my head against the corner of the wall. I think the problem resulted from leaning back too far on my crutches. There’s upright and then there’s oh shit.  I’m hoping at two weeks I’ll get a cast because moon boot and bandages feels so vulnerable. Plus my toes are really screaming with nerve pain. Hopefully the gabapentin will hit that on the head. I ended up opening up my moonboot and putting an ice pack under my toes last night to get some relief. 

Having missed the physio has left me a little on the back foot (ha ha). I’m having to use dr google a lot to check to see what I should be doing. Elevation seems to be a big thing. I’ve got a pillow in the bed and so far it has stayed where it is supposed to and not ended up on the floor.

I’m still quite woozy and ready to fall asleep without warning. No good when you’re trying to drink a cup of hot tea. I’ve come to just in time to see the cup just about tipped sideways enough to pour tea all over my abdomen. A burn is just what I don’t need right now.

I really need to be more vocal about my MS making it more important to stay in hospital a bit longer. I’m always tossed out before the little old ladies who’ve had the same surgery. I think they focus on my age and forget that my brain is Swiss cheese. I’m also technically home alone, my sons are here but they are hard to get hold off when I need them. My husband had a running event on an island so camped over there. At least it meant I could wake up during the night and not have to worry about disturbing him.

Hopefully my nausea will settle and I’ll get a better hand on moving around and then I can settle down and read or watch Netflix. Nausea makes doing that harder. It is very preoccupying. Especially the possibility of having to get from my bed to the bathroom quickly. That’s just a recipe for a whole bunch of nope.

The deed is done

Yesterday was surgery day. I went in at 11:15 to find out I wasn’t on the day list because someone ballsed up and put me down for the day before! It was all sorted out in the end  and I made it to the admissions ward. It was a bit of a rush there because I’d been so long in reception but everything got completed.

I walked to theatre admissions next. The surgeon came and marked my leg and discussed the surgery including where she’d take a bit of bone to graft if necessary. It was the top of my tibia and the first place I looked after surgery was there. No dressing so no graft, yay.

Then the anaesthetist came and discussed my anaesthesia. He decided since I had MS a general was the best option. Funny how it differs from doctor to doctor! I told him I needed to avoid overheating so he promised they wouldn’t put the heat blanket on on top heat.

Once they were sorted I was walked into the theatre. It was freezing! The operation table was so narrow but they had arm rests so it wasn’t too bad. The anaesthetist said he was going to put a cannula in my hand and I thought “you’re welcome to try.” He obviously looked at the veins and decided that my one drain pipe vein in my left elbow was a far better idea. The last thing I remember was him saying he was giving me a relaxant and looking around at the theatre noting I did feel relaxed.

I woke up in the recovery room in full MS blow out. My legs were spasming like crazy and my teeth were chattering. I had the usual fight about it being a normal side effect of a GA and the nurse wanting to warm me up and me saying if she did I’d get worse. We worked out a compromise. 

I had local in the site in theatre but when it wore off it was very painful. They kept topping up my morphine but it was still sitting at a five (someone has hit me very hard with a hammer). The anaesthetist was called and he ordered oxycodone. I was warned it would make me drowsy and it did but it hit the pain beautifully. I don’t remember anything more in re overly,I just magically appeared in my room.

I had a pump on my left leg to help prevent blood clots. Every three minutes it would feel like someone had grabbed my ankle. I also had my moon boot on! I thought they were a bit confused taking it to theatre with me but no, they were right. When I had the calcaneal osteotomy I had a soft cast but this time it’s just bandaged so the moon boot forms the support.

Pump on the left and moonboot on the right.

It’s really weird trying to sleep with a moonboot on. I was a bit drowsy but watched some tv and waited for dinner since I hadn’t eaten since 6:45pm the previous day. They have fabulous food at Mercy but not after a GA. After a GA you get a light meal. It wasn’t bad at all and if I hadn’t seen the full menu today I’d have never been the wiser. Dinner was good but breakfast was cold toast and porridge with stewed apple and apple juice. Since I’m allergic to eggs I couldn’t have the hot breakfast which was scrambled or poached eggs. On the full menu the cooked breakfast included delicious offerings such as French toast with bacon, banana and maple syrup as well as the cold toast and cereal. I had the chicken salad for my main meal with pumpkin soup and the entree and creme brûlée for dessert.

Delicious salad but not the best for someone with an egg allergy!

I struggled a bit with pain during the night but tramadol and paracetamol seemed to ease it. I was really tired but the foot pump kept waking me up when I drifted off. I had a book and I found reading a paragraph or so sent me off to sleep. That worked until 4:15am. From then on I was wide awake and unable to even snooze.Fortunately the night nurses were characters and entertained me. They also gave me another oxycodone when I said it felt like someone hit my foot with a hammer. One of them joked that it was a baseball bat. We decided the other night nurse had done it and hidden the weapon. 🤪

I was being closely monitored and once they got over the fact that 100/50 is a normal if even slightly high blood pressure reading for me they settled down. The real concern was my oxygen saturation’s. I was sitting at 93% so I spent a fair bit of time with first the mask and then the nasal prongs delivering delicious oxygen.

I was released just under 24 hours after I arrived. I had the surgeon and anaesthetist visit but didn’t see a physio so I’m struggling to go upstairs if I’m using crutches. The I-walk is no problem but it’s a bit difficult to put on in a hurry. I remember good leg goes to heaven but I’m not sure how everything else fits in. When I went down to do something in the kitchen then I ended up crawling back up the stairs. Not the best when our house is accessed 

So that’s about it for now. Once I get a clear head and stop sleep typing I’ll do another entry.

Practising with my knee crutch

I’ve got my Knee crutch out of storage. I lent it to a friend who was a bit shorter than me, had a cast on her left leg and didn’t have knock knees like me. So I had to readjust it completely. I rewatched the videos to get me re-clued in again.

It’s set up perfectly and I’ve been round and round the house and up and down stairs, including carrying a cup of tea. I just have to buy my parrot, striped shirt and eye patch and I’m set!

I’m being fused!

Orthopod appointment lined up!

I was really surprised to get an email offering me an appointment in 11 days! Perfect! I work odd hours and six days on three days off so getting an appointment on a day off was almost a miracle!

I have been wondering whether a steroid injection would bring some relief? I have had one before in the same area. So painful compared to the ones just into tendon and muscle. It felt like someone was shoving a red hot screwdriver in between the bones. If it works then I can pull up my big girl pants and have one but I know it would only be temporary.

The surgeon is very forthright so I’m going to have to keep my head clear and not be bulldozed into doing something I don’t want. Hopefully I can take a support person with me.

I’ve made it 4 years, 7 months and 4 days.

I’ve made it over four and a half years post calcaneal osteotomy. Four years were pain free but the arthritis started to win the battle. I’ve tried to brave it out because I don’t want to give up my ability to run. I was told when I had it performed that eventually I would need an ankle fusion.

I’m at that point, in fact way past that point but I don’t want to go down that track. For me the pros are far out weighed by the cons.

Ankle fusion or arthrodesis involves cleaning up the ankle joint and fusing the bones together with screws, plates and bone grafts. Sounds easy enough?

New York Marathon 2018

• Well, it means limited range of movement - I have two flash hip joint prosthesises so I can run so they’d be wasted.
• It can change how you walk which can lead to, you guessed painful arthritis in other parts of your ankles, knees and feet! 
• Recovery can involve 10-12 weeks in a cast. Mines my right side and we drive on the left hand side of the road so my right foot is responsible for the foot controls. Therefore no driving. I work odd hours and can’t take public transport so no work or pay for 3 months.

This is the only likely option if I use our public health system, as I did with the original surgery.

My surgeon also works in private so that gives me more options. She does ankle replacements. 

• It has a shorter recovery period - 3-6 weeks in a cast.
• You regain a wider range of motion. Apparently most people return to active lifestyles but that would depend on your definition of active lifestyle.
• Return to impact sport is rarely possible.
• Need to have little or no ankle deformity - who knows if the CO has made it so!

So this is better than fusion but still unlikely to let me run unless the surgeon is brave. I’m waiting to get an appointment. If I went down this road I’d want a mobile bearing replacement rather than fixed. I don’t even know if that’s an option in New Zealand.

So what do I want? At the moment, a sharp knife and a ton of local anathestic! It is the most pain I have experienced in my life and I have experienced some high level pain. I also have a very high pain tolerance level. Right now nothing even reduces the pain to tolerable. I am taking Naproxen, paracetamol and lots of tramadol and it’s like I’m eating lollies. I can barely walk. The lowest levels of pain occur when I’m wearing the steel cap boots I have to wear to work because it’s really rigid support. Still painful but at least I can carry out my job.

It is actually something I am considering (not the DIY method!) but seeing where non-traumatic amputation for severe osteoporosis-arthritis falls on the scheme of things. I have friends who are amputees so I know all about stump issues and prosthesis fittings being hit and miss but the pain is really driving me mad and not being able to run after all I’ve been through to guarantee I can continue to run after two hip replacements is making me want to scream “Chop it off and just shove a blade on it!” Plus there’s the whole leg length issue. I was lopsided when I only had one hip replacement and that caused back and hip pain until I was straightened out with the second one. I don’t want to go down that path again.

So I wait to see when I get an appointment - how much longer I have to suffer in pain. Then I will ask for ALL the possible options and see where that leaves me.